A home ‘invasion’

Volunteerism was in high style Tuesday at the 36th annual Corona del Mar High School and Middle School PTA Home Tour.

Owners of some of the finest houses in Newport-Mesa opened up their properties to long lines of visitors, who had to wear bright blue booties to not damage the flooring.

At several stops along the tour, there weren’t enough booties to go around.

The tour is the PTA’s sole fundraiser for the year. Nearly three dozen women gave up nights, weekends and summer vacations to help bring the tour to fruition, organizers said.

“I really think the thing that separates CdM is the community effort,” Principal Tim Bryan said.

His wife is a graduate of the high school, and although this is Bryan’s first year at the school’s helm, he said his family has participated in the home tour for many years.

The annual home tour is a labor of love for many locals and students alike.

The school’s orchestra performed at the tour’s al fresco luncheon at the Sherman Library & Gardens, and cheerleaders helped coordinate fundraising efforts.

A new feature this year was a series of centerpieces painted by members of the school’s Art Club, which were sold to raise funds for the PTA.

“It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun,” said club Vice President Madeline Mains, 17.

The home tour turnout was excellent, organizers said, especially in a time of economic uncertainty.

Shod in their blue booties, the tourists got to peek into and pad around some dazzling homes.

A 4,600-square-foot Newport Coast home was a symphony in stonework, with old-world details like Louis XVI inlaid chests, a custom Italian hand-carved mantel and 18th-century urns purchased off the doorstep of an Italian villa, where they had sat for more than 200 years.

A highlight of the home was an exquisitely carved piece of wall art tucked away in the master bathroom, made of mother-of-pearl.

The early 20th century piece, depicting Biblical scenes, is from Jerusalem and once hung in a Greek Orthodox church.

Across town in the One Ford Road area, an 8,400-square-foot Spanish estate owned by Fletcher and Kimberly Jones, evoked 1920s Montecito.

Finished with details like colorful Spanish tiles, hammered copper sinks and Spanish and Mexican religious artwork, the home was filled with a combination of modern furniture and antiques.

Various interpretations of seaside style were common. A 3,000-square-foot “cottage” in Corona del Mar was shabby-chic-meets-French- glam; two Cape Cod-style homes effortlessly blended style and comfort, with a crisp-yet-cozy aesthetic and custom architectural details.

Several homes featured contemporary warmth, with intense colors, Eastern influences, natural materials and modern art.

Architect Annette Wiley, known for her work on the Orange County Museum of Art and the Camp in Costa Mesa, turned a 1950s tract home into a environmentally friendly, minimalist residence with LED lighting, ceiling fans and other green accouterments.